Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24
“Christians today appear to know Christ only after the flesh. They try to achieve communion with Him by divesting Him of His burning holiness and unapproachable majesty, the very attributes He veiled while on earth but assumed in fullness of glory upon His ascension to the Father’s right hand. The Christ of popular Christianity has a weak smile and a halo. He has become Someone-up-There who likes people, at least some people, and these are grateful but not too impressed. If they need Him, He also needs them.
Let us not imagine that the truth of the divine self-sufficiency will paralyze Christian activity. Rather it will stimulate all holy endeavor. This truth, while a needed rebuke to human self-confidence, will when viewed in its biblical perspective lift from our minds the exhausting load of mortality and encourage us to take the easy yoke of Christ and spend ourselves in Spirit-inspired toil for the honor of God and the good of humankind. For the blessed news is that the God who needs no one has in sovereign condescension set Himself to work by and in and through His obedient children.”
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) in Knowledge of the Holy, 26-27. Click here to download it freely.
Over the last two days, we learned that it is needful for us to understand that God needs no helpers or defenders. Today we discover some really blessed news.
“The God who needs no one has in sovereign condescension set Himself to work by and in and through His obedient children.” That’s you and me, but only if we choose the path of obedience.
The obedient appear with the easy yoke of Christ. The obedient spend themselves “in Spirit-inspired toil for the honor of God and the good of mankind.”
Is the Spirit convicting you of human self-confidence that needs rebuke? For God to work by and in you for His honor and the good of humankind, the only pathway is obedience.
As a practical application today, read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), in your personal study this week. Read it and write down time Jesus tells the disciples to do something.
Ask the Spirit to help you obey the list, to help you in your unbelief, and to give you courage to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus.
The International Society of Biblical Literature conference is going well in Adelaide. I am learning a lot, having rich discussions with scholars, and will share my paper at the conference and with you on 9 July 2026.